Hinds “I Don’t Run”

When Hinds first arrived on the scene they blew us away with their sheer exuberance. It was great to see a band who seemed genuinely excited to be playing music. We expect the level and speed of the attention they received took them by surprise, but they welcomed it with broad smiles. Therefore, the question is whether they’ve kept that youthful enthusiasm or if it’s been dampened.

From opener “The Club” it’s clear this band haven’t joined the countless other boring bands around. That’s not to say there isn’t a sense of growth with this album. Certainly, tracks like “Soberland” and “Echoing My Name” show a more rounded sound. You can sense that there is a bit more focus on creating a fuller sound on songs like “Finally Floating”, where the pop melody is a little clearer. It sees a song like “Linda” immediately sounding like a summer radio favourite.

They haven’t lost their ability to also throw out a more trashy and basic track. There certainly remains a somewhat ‘ragged’ feel to “Tester” and “I Feel Cold But I Feel More”. We don’t expect Hinds will ever appeal to music ‘aficionados’ and they’re probably not the worlds greatest musicians. But we don’t care about that and we expect neither do the band. Hinds will get called ‘sloppy’ whilst the music press will call more ‘trendy’ bands lo-fi! But who cares when you get throwaway indie punk that’s as great as “New For You” and “Rookie”.

It’s a bit of a relief to know that Hinds remain the band we first loved so much when we saw them playing without a care in the world at festivals last year. You can still sense that the band are eternally grateful for the opportunity they’ve been given to play their music and travel the world. So, put aside your cynicism for a bit, listen to this and vicariously enjoy that feeling.